WARREN: Ted Lindsay's Valley roots, catching up with Dzingel and Duchene and Noel signs with Panthers

When Detroit Red Wings great Ted Lindsay died at the age of 93 earlier this week, it hit the hockey world hard.

The Ottawa Senators paid tribute by honouring Lindsay with a moment of silence before Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders.

It also hit home for Grant McCagg. A writer and hockey scout who knows the roads and rinks of the Ottawa Valley better than anyone, McCagg has translated his passion for the game and his community into a self-published book that chronicles the rich histories of the best and brightest players who have come out of the valley.

Valley Snapshots is headlined by Lindsay, a Renfrew native who McCagg interviewed back in 2001.

“He really was a legend,” McCagg said of Lindsay, a Hall of Famer who played on Detroit’s famed Production Line alongside Gordie Howe and Sid Abel. Lindsay was a pioneer for improving players’ rights and compensation in an era when NHL owners tried to blackball skaters who challenged the salary status quo.

“I didn’t know what to think going in (to the interview),” said McCagg. “I knew he had a reputation as being crusty, tough and rough and tumble, and I didn’t know how he would treat me. But he was so respectful. We got into his career and he told some great stories.”

His mother, Maude, was born in Renfrew and she married Bert Lindsay, a former Montana ranch hand who moved to the valley and became a goaltender for the legendary Renfrew Millionaires. The Millionaires challenged for the Stanley Cup in 1910.

Ted was born in Renfrew in 1925, the youngest of nine children.

During the Depression, the family moved to Kirkland Lake – “the largest gold mines in the British Empire,” according to Ted – and Ted eventually found his hockey calling in Northern Ontario in the 1940s.

NAMES AND NICKNAMES

McCagg, a second cousin of late great Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray, was born in Shawville and grew up in Renfrew and Pembroke.

Over the years, he has published several newspapers and magazines in the valley and spent countless nights in arenas, exercising his hockey passion by scouting young prospects.

Through all of that, he was always intrigued by the tales of the star hockey players from the region who tasted life in the NHL.

From Frank Nighbor to original Senator Frank Finnigan to the Slaters (Terry, Peter, D’Arcy and Mark) to the Murrays (Terry and Bryan) to Rod Schutt to Jim Peplinski to Ray Sheppard to Dale McTavish, McCagg says it’s remarkable how so many of the players and/or families are linked to each other in one way or another.

“The one thing I realized is how small the hockey world is,” he said.

Anyone interested in learning more about Valley Snapshots can check out recrutes.ca.

SENATORS STAY AT MINIMUM

Following Thursday’s workout at Canadian Tire Centre, the Senators flew to Boston with a bare minimum 18 skaters – 12 forwards and six defencemen.

That included Anthony Duclair, who was nursing a swollen foot after taking a shot off the foot during the 4-2 loss to the Islanders. Interim head coach Marc Crawford says he expects Duclair to be able to play Saturday against the Bruins. If he’s unable to play, the Senators will recall a forward from Belleville of the AHL … Belleville played the second game of back-to-back games in Cleveland Friday. On Thursday, Cleveland defeated Belleville 2-1, ending the B-Sens’ 17-game streak without a regulation loss Defenceman Christian Jaros remained in Ottawa, nursing a hamstring injury. Crawford says there’s an outside chance Jaros could join the Senators in time for Monday’s game against Philadelphia.

THE NUMBERS GAME

The stats will change soon enough, but the dearly departed Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone have yet to put up big numbers with their new teams.

Duchene, traded to Columbus for prospects Vitaly Abramov, Jonathan Davidsson and a first-round pick, has one goal and two assists in eight games with the Blue Jackets.

Dzingel, dealt to the Blue Jackets for Duclair and two second-round picks, has two assists in six games. Duclair has two goals and two assists in seven games with the Senators.

And did anyone expect Oscar Lindberg to outscore Stone – even for a game or two? Lindberg, who came to the Senators in the swap, along with top prospect defenceman Erik Brannstrom, has three goals in six games with Ottawa. Stone has two assists in five games with Vegas.

Strange, but true.

NOEL SIGNS WITH PANTHERS

Ottawa native Serron Noel, who has scored 32 goals and 43 assists in 62 games with the Oshawa Generals, signed an entry-level deal with Florida Friday. Noel was drafted by the Panthers last summer. His father, Dean, was a running back with the Ottawa Rough Riders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.